KNOWLEDGE BASE

Beavers play a crucial role in North American forests, yet the factors influencing their distribution remains unclear, especially at a large scale. This study sought to understand what factors affect beaver dam abundance across an area of 300,000 square kilometres. The steepness of the stream and the area of non-forested land were shown to be key factors, but the text also describes other variations between different regions of the study area. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

Beavers in Poland have colonised diverse landscapes, from coastal lowlands to mountainous areas. However, this study focussed on their historic impacts. The text explained how attempts to understand beavers' impacts across the Holocene era may have been limited by a key misunderstanding; it suggested that much of the flooding attributed to historic climate change or human impacts may have actually been related to the work of ancient beavers. The text went on to suggest some methodological opportunities for distinguishing between these forces and so better understanding beavers' impacts through time.

This study used a computer model to help predict where reintroduced Eurasian beavers might thrive in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They found a lot of suitable habitat, but less than 10% of this was in existing protected areas. The study highlights areas where beavers might move into soon, and suggests monitoring could be focussed in these areas.

Here, scientists found that, in Eurasian beavers, the production of two protein molecules called prepro-orexin (PPO) and plasma orexin A (OXA) varied by season and sex. The text described these variations in detail, and suggested that these chemicals regulate seasonal reproductive activity in beavers. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

This review described the fossil beavers found in China's Yushe Basin. It found that recent work had redefined scientists' understanding of beavers' evolution - merging some species perviously thought distinct. Some species resembled modern beavers, some were larger, and some were completely aquatic. Each species survived for different lengths of time. Please note, this resource is not open-access.